The plans are just in the draft stage, but I’ve gotten an awesome invitation from the Australian Flexible Learning Network to do a speaking tour of the Australia capitol capital cities in October 2007. In this case, I’d be having to fill some rather large, chocolate filled shoes, as this year’s speaker for the series was the incredible Nancy White (see her Australian October blog for coverage). That is rather intimidating to do as a follow-up act.
I guess there is some benefit in playing hard to get– about 3 times in the last two years, they asked me to participate in an online conference, and it was always in conflict with other commitments, so this time, they went for the Vito Carleone level offer.
Well, I almost had to refuse, as October is really pinched between 2 NMC conferences, and I really lack accumulated leave time to be down under for 4-5 weeks (though my heart was more than willing). So they’ve squeezed it down to a hectic, but do-able schedule a bit over 2 weeks.
I’m rather excited to meet up again with colleagues from my visit there in 2000 (and in 2001), as well as meet new ones, and to see parts of the country I missed on those trips.
I might start packing next week.
Strewth cobber! You bloody beauty! When you get here I’ll throw another shrimp on the barbie and shout you a Fosters! 🙂
Sounds good, though if I recall correctly from my previous trips, no self respecting Ozzie drinks Fosters, more like Carlton Gold, XXXX, or Tooheys 😉
I found my old dictionary- http://dommy.com/az2nzau/whatwhy/oztalk.html
Indeed… you caught me out on the Fosters. I just thought it would be more internationally recognisable than VB!
You didn’t pick up on ‘shrimp’… we actually call them ‘prawns’ here.
And no self-respecting Aussie would call themselves an Ozzie… that’s a name reserved for burnt-out, drug-addled rockers! 🙂
Important distinction between Aussie and Ozzie.
Ah VB, a beer I just can’t drink. It’s so… yeah.
Not an Austrlian though, maybe that’s why.
I hope you will have time to blog it as you go! Congrats. You’ll have a blast and if anything like me, meet great people and learn a ton. I love it when someone else sponsors me to come learn!
Its a long way to come to miss out on a kia ora, I will wave from across the ditch
Wow, I’ve learned so much already in terms of vocabulary!
And yes Alisa, I do wish there was room/time to jump the ditch; I am super fond of my previous visits to the land of the long white cloud.
Congrats! I’ll intro you to my aussie nptech buddies.